Russia Says Return Hard for Turkish Firms

Russia said on Tuesday that Turkish companies will face difficulties returning to the Russian market, Press T.V reported.

Andrey Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Ankara, has been quoted by the media as saying that the conditions will become specifically hard for the return of the Turkish companies given that their place will be taken by firms from other countries.

“The purchases of Turkish agricultural products are under restrictions now. Many Turkish suppliers will face difficulties when returning to the Russian market even if the relations are normalized. There is a long list of foreign companies wishing to occupy this niche,” said Karlov as quoted by the Russian media.

Karlov further emphasized that Iranian, Egyptian, Israeli and Azerbaijani agricultural producers had already taken the place, which had been occupied by Turkish companies.

Tensions between Moscow and Ankara sharply escalated when Turkey on November 24, 2015 downed the Su-24 fighter jet over Syria, claiming that it had entered Turkish airspace, an accusation strongly rejected by Moscow.

In reaction to the incident, Moscow has imposed a series of sanctions against Ankara.

Russia has banned the import of Turkish fruits and vegetables, poultry and salt. It has also forbidden the sale of charter holidays to Turkey for Russians.

The sanctions also impose restrictions on Turkish firms willing to work on construction projects in Russia. Moreover, Turkish citizens working for companies registered in Russia are facing restrictions.

Russia has also stopped working on a new Black Sea pipeline that was to increase its gas exports to Turkey. 

Turkish economist, Erhan Aslanoglu, has warned that Ankara risks losing $3.5 billion annually in income from Russian tourists, who had long been flocking to Turkey’s Mediterranean resorts.

R.S